Genius
by Sakura the Cookie Monster
Summary: Ami's POV. A fateful night changes Ami's life forever.


TITLE: Genius  
  
AUTHOR: Sakura the Cookie Monster  
  
RATING: PG-13  
  
DISCLAIMER/WARNINGS: The standard disclaimers apply. I'm just borrowing them for a while. Mamoru and Minako fans need not apply.  
  
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It was a chilly, cloudless Saturday night and I was home alone, tapping on my textbook with my pencil. I adjust my glasses to prevent them from sliding down my nose. I was wearing a black boat neck sweater that was adorned with dangling peace signs on my sleeves and an ankle-length blue patchwork skirt. I was barefooted, on the floor, studying for another test. After all, in order to become a doctor, one must study hard and get excellent grades.  
  
But, is life based solely on academic achievement? Of course it isn't, I hear my rational self, whispering in my left ear. Life is simply just living it, which is something I am not doing at the moment. I bite my lower lip in frustration as the words in my textbook begin to blur. I take off my reading glasses, place my pencil inside my textbook and close the book for the night. I glance at the clock and notice that it's ten twenty- two. It hasn't even passed midnight and I'm already tired of studying.  
  
I can feel my stomach grumbling, aching for just a little bit of food. So, I place my slippers on and walk out of my room and into the kitchen. I yawn a little, from sleepiness. But, there's no sleep for me as I search the fridge for some Swiss cheese and ham. Finding what I was looking for, I find some Ritz crackers and make myself a little appetizer. I can't help but wonder, as I stand here knowing that life is passing by me quickly, why I must be the stereotypical genius among the senshi.  
  
Genius. That's what I've always been labeled throughout my whole life. I am unnaturally smart, no doubt about that, but I am not what people would consider a genius. I have an I.Q. of three hundred, which is the highest anyone can go. But, is that really considered a genius? Most people seem to think so. I doubt that I am one, despite my I.Q. being tested over and over again.  
  
I sit down in the living room by the phone, eating my snack. I enjoy this silence. Even though it also gets on my nerves at the same time. I know that it doesn't make much sense. But then again, my life has never made much sense either. I feel like calling someone, anyone that can simply hold a decent conversation.  
  
I could call Usagi, but she's probably on the phone. Knowing her, she's talking to Naru about her dates with Mamoru. She could be talking with Mamoru, bouncing up and down as she hears his constant reassurances and sweet talk. There's always Rei, but she's probably meditating in front of the fire. I think she's snoring away in front of it. And then there's Michiru, but she and Haruka are probably busy doing things that, as Michiru said to Haruka once, 'only adults can enjoy' or painting. Heaven forbid the day that I interrupt Michiru while her muse is inspiring her to paint. Then, there's Setsuna, but she's guarding the Time Gate.  
  
As I was about to pick up the phone to call someone, the phone rings. I pick it up, leaning against the receiver.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ami-chan..," I hear a tired, almost sleepy voice say from the other end.  
  
"Minako-chan? Are you okay? You don't sound too good," I said, a little worried for her.  
  
"...I'm fine. I... I just wanted to talk to you," Minako said, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of tears.  
  
"Did something happen, Minako-chan?"  
  
"No. I'm all right. Don't worry about me, Ami-chan. Nothing else really matters now. Goodbye, Ami-chan."  
  
BANG!  
  
I pull the receiver away from my ear as I heard the gunshot.  
  
"Minako-chan?!?"  
  
No answer. And there would never be one again. I drop the receiver in shock and broke down in tears. I couldn't believe it. Minako had just... had just... I couldn't piece the words together in my mind. Where did Minako get a gun? Why did she kill herself? What could have driven her to that point that taking her own life was the only way out? I couldn't believe what just happened now. I can't find the answers to the questions I had in my mind. I feel numb as I bring my knees to my chest, rocking myself back and forth for comfort. These answers in my mind will never be answered, even with my genius mind.  
  
* * *  
  
The funeral took place a few days later, with the coffin closed. Almost everyone was there, except for one person. And I was on my way to visit his apartment now. My feet were aching from the high heels that I was wearing, but nothing really matters anymore now. Studying, appetizers, and silence didn't matter anymore. Minako was gone.  
  
I knock on the apartment door and it opens slightly. Something's not right at all. I walk in, only to see that person, sitting on the couch with an odd, joyful look on his face. He was wearing a sparkling white, long- sleeved, buttoned-down shirt and khaki jeans. The bastard had the nerve to smile at me. How could such positive emotions come from that man at a time like this?  
  
"Good afternoon, Ami. How are you today?", he asked, in a distant tone that was trying to hide happiness. It's a good thing that I volunteered to go to his apartment. Otherwise, Makoto, Haruka, and Rei would've strangled him on the spot.  
  
"...How could you ask such a question?", I ask him, trying to hold back my anger at him. His blue eyes were shining with a radiant joy within them.  
  
"Cheer up. Minako wouldn't want to see any of you cry for her," he said. His smile became bigger and was lighting up his face. I was in shock.  
  
"How would you know what Minako would and wouldn't want? It seems to me that you're the only person thrilled to death about Minako killing herself," I point out, keeping my anger in check.  
  
"Of course I am," he said, drinking his tea calmly, as if everything was okay in the world.  
  
"Why didn't you go to the funeral?"  
  
"Because I don't think that Mr. and Mrs. Aino would love to meet the man that gave their daughter the gun that she used to kill herself," he said, grabbing the teakettle to pour me a glass of tea.  
  
I have made a conclusion: Any person that can say that they gave someone a gun to kill himself or herself with, must have a few screws loose in their heads.  
  
"You gave Minako the gun, knowing that she was going to kill herself with it?", I inquired. Usagi was not going to like hearing this at all.  
  
"Yes, I did. She used the gun exactly as I would've used it myself," he said, the smile going wider on his face. He looked like the Cheshire cat with that smile on his face. He then said, "Let us toast to Minako's victory over fate."  
  
I dropped the glass and it shattered as it struck the ground. He gives me another glass, not even worried about the broken glass on the floor.  
  
"Celebrate! You want us all to celebrate?!? What would Usagi say if she heard that from your mouth?", I shouted, thinking that maybe if I mention Usagi, he'd finally show that he's sad over her death.  
  
"She'd break up with me and call me a heartless bastard. Now, drink up. Your tea's getting cold," he points out.  
  
I take a sip of my tea, wondering if Mamoru laced it with poison. From the way he's acting now, it wouldn't surprise me if he did try to kill me or anyone else for the matter.  
  
"How could you act so calm about this, Mamoru? Minako just killed herself with your gun, that you gave to her and you don't feel guilty about it?"  
  
"Nope! She has won against fate. She's truly a genius, you know."  
  
"Genius? Minako is a genius? What she did was stupid!" I yelled. My anger had finally gotten the better of me and now, I wished nothing more than to leave at this moment. But, for some strange reason, I am entranced by Mamoru's behavior. Why did he call Minako a genius?  
  
"What she did was absolutely brilliant, in my opinion, Ami. Life brings only pain, suffering, and loss. There are only few moments of happiness in life. But all are short-lived. The only place that we find peace and happiness is within death," he says, refilling his cup again with more tea.  
  
"You're insane, Mamoru. I think that you need psychological help, because this is not normal," I said.  
  
"Have a cookie, Ami. As soon as you walk out that door, you'll start feeling much better, knowing that Minako's in a much better place," he says, handing me a large chocolate chip cookie.  
  
"...Thank you. Mamoru, do you have any idea why Minako killed herself?", I ask him, thinking that he might have the answers.  
  
"Yes. She told me that she was sick and tired of living. She was tired of being Minako Aino. Good day, Ami-chan, and have a nice day," he replied, cocking his head to the side, with his smile still intact.  
  
I leave his apartment and, for some strange reason, I felt calm. I eat the cookie, already feeling better. Damn Mamoru! How the hell did he know that I would feel better once I ate the cookie? I start to think about what Mamoru said about life. And then I disregard it as the unethical and unnerving thoughts of a psycho that gladly gave Minako a gun.  
  
Or maybe he wasn't crazy? Maybe he was hiding how he truly felt from all of us? It would be pure genius of Mamoru to hide his grief through sheer madness. And it makes some logical sense. Maybe he is a genius after all?  
  
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was a completely unplanned story. The only thing I planned was for it to be an Ami POV fic. Everything else was running on a spur of the moment. And yes, I am aware that I wrote an OOC-Mamoru. I doubt that he'd be smiling during a time of crisis and giving strange and unethical wisdom. 


End file.
